Evil Dead [2013] ★★½

First things first: I’m a huge fan of the original “Evil Dead”, in which 5 friends traveled to a cabin in the mountains where they found evil spirits lurking around in the forest. The movie was shot on a tight budget, but still managed to provide a violent and gruesome experience. So in mind, nothing could replace it. Surprise Surprise. Against all odds, the new version is a deliciously devious scare fest that keeps changing the steps until you lose your shit and fall helplessly into its demonic traps. Boy it felt good. Sam Raimi (who directed the original) and his leading man Bruce Campbell are also behind this version (as producers), and they’re still fright obsessed. From the word go, the movie grabs you and never lets up, moving from one gory scene to another. Sounds repetitive, but just like the 1981 cult classic, it keeps springing scary surprises. And it’s wicked, twisted fun right through the closing credits. The revised plot has a group of five friends traveling to a remote cabin in the woods to help Mia (Jane Levy) kick her drug addiction.Then they find a mysterious book in the horrific basement of the cabin, and accidentally unleash an evil force that grabs hold of Mia and begins to infect the other members of the group one-by-one. Although the events are easy to predict, “Evil Dead” still manages to pay tribute to the original film by shocking the audience with a sea of bloody gore. Director Fede Alvarez gives die-hard fans a way to newly enjoy the franchise 30 years later while at the same time reworking the plot to give newcomers a chance to discover the series. Film buffs are already arguing which version is the best. I’ll go with Raimi’s version. But I couldn’t ask for a better remake.